Guam is a U.S. territory in the western Pacific Ocean, at the boundary of the Philippine Sea. It is the southernmost and largest member of the Mariana Islands archipelago, which is itself the northernmost group of islands in Micronesia. The closest political entity is the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), another U.S. territory. Guam shares maritime boundaries with CNMI to the north and the Federated States of Micronesia to the south. It is located approximately one quarter of the way from the Philippines to Hawaii. Its location and size make it strategically important. It is the only island with both a protected harbor and land for multiple airports between Asia and Hawaii, on an east–west axis, and between Papua New Guinea and Japan, on a north–south axis.
Micronesia is a subregion of Oceania, consisting of about 2,000 small islands in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. It has a close shared cultural history with three other island regions: Maritime Southeast Asia to the west, Polynesia to the east, and Melanesia to the south—as well as with the wider community of Austronesian peoples.
Taotao Mo'na, also commonly written as taotaomona or taotaomo'na, are spirits of ancient giant inhabitants believed to protect the mountains and wild places of the Mariana Islands, which include Luta, Saipan, Tinian and Guam, in Micronesia. Belief in Taotao Mo'na is present throughout these islands.
Gadao is a legendary chief of the village of Inarajan in southern Guam. In the Chamorro language of ancient Guam, he would have had the title maga'lahi as a high-ranking male. In addition to being featured in legend, he is the namesake of Inarajan's Chief Gadao's Cave containing ancient cave paintings. Some stories claim Gadao himself drew the figures.
Alamagan is an island in the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean, 30 nautical miles (56 km) north of Guguan, 250 nautical miles (463 km) north of Saipan, and 60 nautical miles (111 km) south of Pagan. It is currently uninhabited.
Sarigan or Sariguan is an uninhabited volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory. Sarigan is located 37 kilometers (20 nmi) northeast of Anatahan island, 67 km (36 nmi) south of Guguan and 150 km (81 nmi) north of Saipan, the largest island in the Northern Marianas.
Micronesian mythology comprises the traditional belief systems of the people of Micronesia. There is no single belief system in the islands of Micronesia, as each island region has its own mythological beings.
The following is an alphabetical list of articles related to the United States Territory of Guam.
The following is an alphabetical list of articles related to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Inalåhan is a village located on the southeastern coast of the United States territory of Guam. The village's original Chamoru name, Inalåhan, was altered when transliterated during Spanish control of the island.
Rota Latte Stone Quarry, also known as the As Nieves quarry, is located near the Chamorro village of Sinapalo, on the island of Rota in the Marianas Archipelago. The prehistoric megaliths found there are believed to have been used as foundation pillars for houses, with some of them weighing up to 35 tons. Their exact age, origin, methods of quarrying and means of transportation have not been determined.
The Unai Dangkulo Petroglyph Site is one of a small number of documented rock art sites in the Mariana Islands. Located on the northeastern shore of the island of Tinian in the Northern Marianas, it is the only such site composed exclusively of pictographs. It is also uncommon in that it is not found in a cave-like setting, which is where most of the other rock art sites in the region are found. The site is on a limestone outcrop that is sometimes covered by sand or cleared of sand by typhoons, and was discovered in 1998 after it was exposed by Typhoon Keith. It consists of about 50 figures, many of them anthropomorphic.
The Talagi Pictograph Cave is a rock art site on the island of Guam. It is located on property owned by the government of Guam within the bounds of Andersen Air Force Base on the northern part of the island near Tarague Beach. The cave contains thirteen pictographs representing human figures, and a places where limestone mortar was used that is of prehistoric origin. Based on the characteristics of the figures, it is believed that they were probably the work of a single individual. It is one of a small number known rock art sites on the island.
The Fafai Beach Site is a prehistoric archaeological site near the village of Tamuning on the island of Guam. The site is stratified, containing layers representative of both the Latte and Pre-Latte periods of prehistory. The site includes several latte stone house sites, stone mortar sites, and rock overhang areas with cultural deposits. Stone, shell, and charcoal artifacts have been found here, as have several human burials.
The Mahlac Pictograph Cave is a rock art site on the island of Guam. It is located high in the southern mountains of the island, and contains more than 40 images, rendered in paints that are white, red, brown, and black. The art was carefully analyzed in 2011, and a radiocarbon date of c. 600 CE was obtained from a paint sample. The meaning of the art is a subject of debate.
The Nomna Bay Site is a prehistoric archaeological site on the east coast of the United States territory of Guam. Located on the southeast coast in the community of Inarajan, the site's primary features are fourteen latte stone house sites, located within 400 feet (120 m) of the waterline of Nomna Bay. One of these house sites has a T-shaped layout, which is extremely unusual for Micronesia latte sites. In the surrounding area are fire pits and stone mortar sites. Radiocarbon dating places use of the site to between about 1360 and 1675.
The Pagat Site is a large archaeological site in northeastern Guam. The site's major visible features are latte stone house sites, but it also contains pre-Latte period artifacts. Other surface features include refuse middens, stone mortar and grinding sites rock shelters. Items found during archaeological excavation include pottery remains, fish hooks, stone tools and weapons, beads, and several human burial sites. The site has been involved in contentious local debates over land use and preservation.
The Haputo Beach Site is a prehistoric village site in northwestern Guam. The site, located on Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station Guam land near a sheltered cove, includes standing latte stones, as well as rock shelters and caves with evidence of human occupation. In addition to needing military permission for access to the site, the main trail leads through the Navy's Haputo Ecological Preserve.
The Talofofo River Valley Site is an archaeological site near Inarajan on the island of Guam. The site's major features include latte stone sets and rockshelters, with radiocarbon dating placing human occupation of the area as early as the first century CE. The site is located in the alluvial plain of the Talofofo River, and was excavated by archaeologist Fred Reinman in 1977.
Latte Stone Park, officially Senator Angel Leon Guerrero Santos Latte Stone Memorial Park, is an urban park in Hagåtña, Guam. Established in the 1950s and operated by the Guam Department of Parks and Recreation, it is best known for its set of eight historical latte stones, which were transferred from their original site in Fena. The Park is located along the cliffline below the Governor's residence in Agana Heights and south of the Plaza de España. It is often visited by sightseers visiting central Hagåtña. The park also includes the entrances to two sets of caves that were constructed during the Japanese occupation (1941–1944) by forced laborers and that were listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1991 as the Agana/Hagåtña Cliffline Fortifications.
